TITLE 15

Elections

Election Campaigns

CHAPTER 80. CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES

Subchapter IV. Public Disclosure

§ 8030 Reports of political committees.

(a) Each candidate (except a candidate who is excused from filing a report under § 8004 of this title) and every treasurer (except of a candidate excused from filing a report under § 8004 of this title) shall be responsible for filing with the Commissioner reports of contributions and expenditures on forms prescribed by the Commissioner for every reporting period during which a political committee is in existence. A candidate shall be jointly responsible with the treasurer for the filing of the report of a candidate committee.

(b) A reporting period shall begin on the day after the previous reporting period (except that for a newly-formed committee, the reporting period begins on the date the first contribution is received or expenditure made by or on behalf of such committee) and shall end on the following dates:

(1) December 31 of every year, before or after an election, from the time the committee receives its first contribution or makes its first expenditure, until and including the year in which contributions and expenditures are balanced and the political committee terminates;

(2) 30 days before any election (except for committees of candidates not on the ballot at such election);

(3) 8 days before any election (except for committees of candidates not on the ballot at such election).

(c)(1) Each report required by paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall either be:

a. Filed by the political committee and received by the Commissioner by 4:30 p.m. of the twentieth day after the end of the reporting period which is not a state holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1; or

b. Mailed to the Commissioner and postmarked by the political committee by the end of the twentieth day after the end of the reporting period which is not a state holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1.

(2) Each report required by paragraph (b)(2) of this section shall either be:

a. Filed by the political committee and received by the Commissioner by 4:30 p.m. of the second day after the end of the reporting period which is not a state holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1; or

b. Mailed to the Commissioner and postmarked by the political committee by the end of the second day after the end of the reporting period which is not a state holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1.

(3) Each report required by paragraph (b)(3) of this section shall be filed by the political committee and received by the Commissioner by 4:30 p.m. of the second day after the end of the reporting period which is not a State holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1.

(d) Each report under this section shall disclose all of the following information, for the entire reporting period:

(1) Amount of cash and other intangible and tangible assets on hand at the beginning of the reporting period;

(2) Full name and mailing address of each person who has made contributions to such political committee (including the purchase of tickets for events such as dinners, luncheons, rallies and similar fund-raising events, whether or not the tickets were used by the person who paid for them) during the election period in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $100, the total of all contributions from such person during the election period, and the amount and date of all contributions from such person during the reporting period. If the person who made the contribution is not an individual, then the report shall also include the name and address of 1 responsible party for such person;

(3) Total of contributions made to such political committee during the reporting period and not reported under paragraph (d)(2) of this section;

(4) Name and address of each political committee from which the political committee received, or to which the political committee made, any transfer of funds, together with the amounts and dates of all transfers, no matter what the amount;

(5) The amount of each debt in excess of $50, owed to or owing by such political committee at the end of the reporting period, the full names and mailing addresses of any lender, borrower and endorser of such debt, the date and the interest rate of such loan, and a description of any security given therefor;

(6) Total amount of proceeds from:

a. Sale of tickets to each reception, meal, rally or other fund-raising event;

b. Collections made at such events; and

c. Sales of items such as campaign pins, buttons, badges and similar materials; provided, however, that all payments and contributions by any person, whether as gifts, as purchases of tickets or other goods or services, or partially as gifts and partially as purchases, by any person during any election period, shall be aggregated and, if such aggregate total exceeds $50 during such election period, shall be reported under paragraph (d)(2) of this section;

(7) Each contribution or other receipt in excess of $100 not otherwise listed under paragraphs (d)(2) through (6) of this section;

(8) Total receipts by such political committee or candidate during the reporting period;

(9) Full name and mailing address of each person to whom any expenditure has been made by such political committee during the reporting period in an aggregate amount in excess of $100, the amount, date and purpose of each such expenditure and the name of, and office sought by, each candidate on whose behalf such expenditure was made;

(10) Total expenditures made by such political committee or candidate in connection with such campaign; and

(11) All goods and services that are contributed in kind, or at no charge or at a cost less than fair market value (except for services excluded from the definition of "contribution" under § 8002 of this title) to the extent that the fair market value, less any amount paid by the candidate or committee, exceeds $100.

(e) The reports required to be filed by this section shall be cumulative for the election period to which they relate, but where there has been no change in an item previously reported, only the amount need be carried forward.

(f) Each statement shall be accompanied by an affidavit verified by the candidate or the treasurer of the political committee, which states as follows:

"I solemnly swear [or affirm] that the foregoing statement is in every respect true and correct, and discloses all contributions received and expenditures required by me under Title 15, Chapter 80 of the Delaware Code."

(g) The report required under paragraph (b)(3) of this section may omit the information required under paragraph (d)(9) of this section; provided, however, that all such information shall be disclosed in the next report required hereunder.

(a) Any person other than a candidate committee or political party who makes an expenditure for any third-party advertisement that causes the aggregate amount of expenditures for third-party advertisements made by such person to exceed $500 during an election period shall file a third-party advertisement report with the Commissioner. The report shall be filed under penalty of perjury and shall include the following:

(1) The information required under § 8005(1) of this title with respect to the person making such expenditure;

(2) The full name and mailing address of each person to whom any expenditure has been made by such person during the reporting period in an aggregate amount in excess of $100; the amount, date and purpose of each such expenditure; and the name of, and office sought by, each candidate on whose behalf such expenditure was made;

(3) The full name and mailing address of each person who has made contributions to such person during the election period in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $100; the total of all contributions from such person during the election period, and the amount and date of all contributions from such person during the reporting period;

(4) If a person who made a contribution under paragraph (a)(3) of this section is not an individual, the full name and mailing address of:

a. Any person who, directly or otherwise, owns a legal or equitable interest of 50 percent or greater in such entity; and

b. One responsible party, if the aggregate amount of contributions made by such entity during the election period exceeds $1,200; and

(5) The aggregate amount of all contributions made to the person who made the expenditure.

(b) For purposes of this section, a reporting period shall begin on the day after the previous reporting period under § 8030 of this title or this section, whichever is later. However, if the person making the expenditure hereunder was not previously required to file any reports during the election period under § 8030 of this title or this section, then the reporting period shall begin on the date the first contribution is received or expenditure made by or on behalf of such person in the current election period. A reporting period shall end on the date of the expenditure set forth in subsection (a) of this section.

(c) Any person other than an individual that makes a contribution for which disclosure is required under paragraph (a)(3) of this section shall provide written notification in accordance with § 8012(e) of this title to the person filing the report hereunder. The person filing the report may rely on such notification, and should the notification provided by the representative of the entity be inaccurate or misleading, the person or persons responsible for the notification, and not the person filing the report, shall be liable therefor.

(d) If the expenditure is made more than 30 days before a primary or special election or 60 days before a general election, the report required under this section shall be filed within 48 hours after such expenditure is made. If the expenditure is made 30 days or less before a primary or special election or 60 days or less before an election, such report shall be filed with the Commissioner within 24 hours after such expenditure is made. For purposes of this section, an expenditure shall be deemed to be made on the date it is paid or obligated, whichever is earlier.

(e) The Commissioner shall adopt regulations exempting, to the extent possible, persons from reporting duplicative information under this chapter.

(f) Persons required to file reports under this section shall retain complete records of all expenditures made and contributions received in connection herewith for 3 years following the election for which such report was filed.

All reports made to the Commissioner and all rulings made by the Commissioner under this chapter shall be public and shall, immediately upon their filing, be made available by the office of the Commissioner for inspection and copying at reasonable cost by the public, except that the identity of the candidate or committee which requested a ruling shall not be disclosed without the candidate's or committee's consent. The Office of the Election Commissioner shall remain open beyond the ordinary close of business on the day the reports are due to be received under § 8030(c) of this title, until all persons who are present at said office at the time of the ordinary close of business have had an opportunity to make reasonable inspection and copying of said reports.

Any contributor who is a law-enforcement officer as defined by § 222 or § 2401 of Title 11, a probation and parole officer, or a federal or state judicial officer may request that the Commissioner remove that officer's mailing address from any report to the Commissioner before the report is publicly disclosed. Any other person, upon application to the board of elections for the county in which that person resides, may request that the person's mailing address be removed from any report to the Commissioner before the report is publicly disclosed. After considering the application, if the board of elections determines that good cause exists, it shall approve the removal of the person's mailing address by the Commissioner before the report is publicly disclosed.